Chapter 33
The dilapidated residential building was a mix of all sorts of people. Security cameras were installed and then removed, minor crimes occurred daily, so even if someone heard cat cries, no one bothered to investigate, let alone call the police.
By the time the situation escalated and the police arrived, they were speechless at the gruesome scene.
The intern following the officer saw the young man’s mangled face and muttered “serves him right” under his breath. The officer didn’t say anything, just surveyed the room.
The cat abuser stood in a corner, clutching his face and crying out in pain. His cries abruptly stopped when he saw the police, replaced by a look of terror.
Not far from him, a man in a hospital gown knelt on one knee, holding a bald kitten. The kitten looked dazed, and when the man turned it over, it let out a startled meow, clutching its belly.
Another, slightly chubby man immediately rushed over when they entered. “Officer, it’s him! He’s abusing cats! Look at what he did to these cats!”
The officer finally turned his attention to the man beside him. “You reported this?”
“Yes, yes!” Song Zhang nodded, then, noticing the officer’s strange look, followed his gaze towards Lu Yichuan. “That’s my friend, and that’s his cat. He’s still hospitalized, but when he heard his cat was missing, he was so worried. We searched everywhere before finding this place.”
He added in a low voice, “Did you see the dart by that man’s feet? If we hadn’t arrived in time, he would have shot the cat.”
The officer looked at the gruesome scene and sighed. “Take the man and the cats to the hospital. As for you two…”
He glanced at the frail man in the hospital gown and paused. “Your friend should go back to the hospital too. You come with me to make a statement.”
Song Zhang looked at Lu Yichuan worriedly.
The man, who had been frantic just moments ago, was now eerily calm. He turned his head and coughed, a bit of color finally returning to his face.
He stood up slowly, supporting himself on his knee, still holding the cat. A breeze from the open window ruffled the curtains, and sunlight fell on him, casting a warm glow.
Despite his pale complexion, as if he could collapse at any moment, he stood tall and straight, his innate elegance and refinement evident.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
Lu Yichuan looked at Song Zhang, a smile appearing on his lips. “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Song Zhang: “…”
…
While the other officers dealt with the scene, the intern took Song Zhang’s statement.
“You kicked down the door?”
Song Zhang rubbed his hands. “It was an emergency; we had no choice.”
“What happened to that man’s face?”
“That has nothing to do with us. His face was already like that when we went in. Looks like a cat scratched him.”
He shuddered, remembering the calico cat in the corner, glaring fiercely at the young man despite its own injuries.
Such a sweet little angel, who would have thought it could be so ferocious.
The intern paused, probably thinking the same thing.
“How did you find this place?”
Song Zhang’s expression remained unchanged. “My friend loves his cat dearly and was afraid it would get lost, so he installed a tracker on it. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to find it.”
Tracker my ass!
Song Zhang was gritting his teeth. That lunatic Lu Yichuan had gone crazy when he couldn’t find the cat after returning to the dormitory. He had somehow managed to access the university’s surveillance footage.
They had followed the cat’s trail all the way to that alley and happened to see it push the potted plant off the windowsill.
His explanation was so natural that the intern didn’t suspect anything. After all, putting trackers on pets wasn’t uncommon.
“Alright, that’s all for now. We might need your cooperation for further investigation later.”
Song Zhang naturally agreed.
As soon as he left the police station, he rushed to the hospital.
If he hadn’t been mistaken, the wound on Lu Yichuan’s wrist had reopened.
…
Lu Yichuan had upgraded himself to a VIP ward. The room was spacious and comfortable, with a private balcony.
When Song Zhang arrived, he was sitting on the sofa, his arm outstretched, a nurse changing his bandages, his gaze fixed on the balcony.
On the balcony, his assistant, dressed in a suit, was meticulously pouring cat food into a bowl. A bald kitten circled the bowl, then started pawing at the assistant’s pants leg.
The usually expressionless assistant froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes. He instinctively looked back, but the one-way glass only reflected the blue sky outside.
The bald kitten trotted to the side and patted a can of cat food with its paw.
The assistant understood and opened the can for it.
Song Zhang watched the scene. “You know, your cat is quite smart. If you really don’t want to keep it, I can take it.”
The man on the sofa closed his eyes. “If you have nothing else to say, you can shut up.”
Song Zhang: “…”
“Look at you. A few days ago, you were begging me to take it.”
Lu Yichuan didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the cat eating on the balcony, his eyes filled with an unreadable emotion.
His stitches had reopened, and the bandages on his wrist were stained with blood, which he had somehow managed to conceal all the way here. If it weren’t for Song Zhang’s sharp eyes, he wouldn’t have noticed.
Looking at the bloodstained bandages in the trash can, Song Zhang winced, but Lu Yichuan didn’t even flinch.
He pulled up a chair and sat next to Lu Yichuan. “What are you thinking about?”
Sunlight streamed into the room, but Lu Yichuan’s eyes were clouded. “I’m thinking…”
Thinking about why his Rongrong wouldn’t tell him.
Lu Yichuan never blamed Jiang Heng. He blamed himself, wondering what he had done wrong that made Jiang Heng hide the truth from him.
“But it’s okay,” he said. “I’ll figure everything out.”
“Huh?” Song Zhang gaped. “Figure out what? Have you really lost it?”
His expression was a mixture of pity and concern. “I already felt something was off when you asked me to take the cat. And I know you’ve been suicidal. After what happened last time, I wasn’t even sure if I should come find you…”
But he couldn’t just stand by and watch him die.
He couldn’t help but remember the chilling sight of the finger bone last night.
He glanced at the man’s neck. The hospital gown was loose, and the red string stood out against his pale skin.
Lu Yichuan raised his hand, pulling his collar up to cover the red string, his eyes cold. “What are you looking at?”
Song Zhang froze for a few seconds, then looked away.
“I…” he said with difficulty, “I’m wondering if I did the wrong thing.”
The nurse left. Song Zhang saw Lu Yichuan lower his rolled-up sleeve, just enough to cover his wrist, his gaze still fixed on the balcony.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m grateful that you saved me.”
On the balcony, the bald kitten, having finished a can of wet food, was pawing at the assistant for more, not touching the dry food at all.
Song Zhang didn’t understand what was so interesting about the scene. He was still stunned by Lu Yichuan’s rare apology. “How did you suddenly see the light? Is it really like what the nurse said, you’ve been so close to death twice that you’re scared now?”
Lu Yichuan didn’t answer.
He opened the door to the balcony and, just as the assistant was hesitating about opening another can, picked up the kitten. “Only eating canned food?”
Jiang Heng felt inexplicably guilty. He stretched his legs, pretending to be an innocent, clueless kitten.
“Meow~”
The next moment, the man’s hand was on his belly, his fingertips probing gently, as if checking how full he was. “Your belly is already round. You’ll get sick if you eat any more.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
He pushed at Lu Yichuan’s hand with his hind legs, but his paw was caught, Lu Yichuan’s fingers pressing down on his paw pads, revealing his sharp claws.
He returned to the sofa, took out a wet wipe, and meticulously cleaned the kitten’s paws, his tone casual. “Your claws look sharp, but they can’t even break skin.”
Jiang Heng was speechless again.
He had thought that after experiencing such a life-or-death situation, his relationship with Lu Yichuan would improve, but instead, he seemed to be even more disliked now.
Finally, as the wet wipe rubbed against his paw, Jiang Heng couldn’t take it anymore and extended his sharp claws, scratching at the wipe, wanting to show Lu Yichuan the consequences of annoying him.
Rip!
Rip!
Jiang Heng…
Jiang Heng was stuck.
The wet wipe was shredded, but his claws were also firmly caught in the pieces.
He pulled.
He pulled harder.
His claws were only getting more entangled.
He looked up to see Lu Yichuan holding the corner of the wet wipe, watching him with amusement.
“…”
Jiang Heng awkwardly waved his paw in the air.
Hi! Good afternoon!
Lu Yichuan carefully untangled his claws.
His movements were gentle, his voice calm and soothing, the deeper emotions hidden beneath the surface, buried in his slightly trembling voice.
“Don’t be so reckless next time. Such a small cat, you don’t even know how to scratch properly, how could you go to such a dangerous place?”
“I can’t always protect you, and I can’t always be there in time.”
If he had arrived even a moment later…
Lu Yichuan closed his eyes, his breathing heavy.
Jiang Heng knew he was in the wrong. He pawed at Lu Yichuan’s leg and noticed his wrist peeking out from under his sleeve.
“Meow?!”
What’s wrong? Are you hurt?
The man was too overbearing; Jiang Heng had been led around by the nose since he had arrived that morning, every action dictated by him. Only now did he remember the hospital gown and Lu Yichuan’s unusually pale face.
The bald kitten meowed worriedly, nuzzling his sleeve, trying to see his wrist.
Lu Yichuan picked him up and placed him in his lap, pulling his sleeve down to cover his wrist. “It’s nothing. I fell last night and cut my hand.”
The kitten, nestled in his lap, looked down at his wrist, tilting its head. “Meow?”
Lu Yichuan chuckled. “It’s not deep, just a small cut. I’m getting some anti-inflammatory treatment at the hospital. I’ll be discharged in a few days.”
He held the kitten close, their faces touching, feeling its warmth against his skin. “Stay with me at the hospital for a few days, will you?”
Jiang Heng looked up at Lu Yichuan, unable to decipher his emotions, but feeling the distance between them disappear.
Lu Yichuan was back.
The Lu Yichuan who was always so good to him.
Jiang Heng’s heart raced inexplicably.
Unable to understand why, he shook his head in a daze, then turned his face away, nuzzling the red string around the man’s neck.
The next moment, a voice echoed in Lu Yichuan’s mind.
“Does it hurt?”
A clear, lilting voice, the familiar drawl that had been with him for over ten years…
—A voice that had been gone for four years.
